Governor Chris Christie Updates NJ on Disaster Recovery [AUDIO]

Governor Chris Christie called in to Jim Gearhart's show this morning, to update New Jersey residents on the restoration efforts going on around the Garden State as well as his thoughts on the job the utility companies are doing.

Governor's Office/Tim Larsen

Although the Governor said that he thinks the utility companies have done a better job restoring power than during Hurricane Irene, he still believes there is plenty of room for improvement. The scope of what the power companies were dealing with was much greater than anything we've ever witnessed in the state. Christie's bigger concern is where do we go from here and how does the State and the Utility Companies learn from this and do a better job in the planning and communication process leading up to any future storms.

Gov Christie also stated that NJ will be using Fort Monmouth as a housing for families displaced by Hurricane Sandy. This staging would house approximately 600 families. For the rest of the approximately 7,000 displaced residents, the state is working with FEMA to find housing for them as well.

Many NJ1015 listeners had been calling this morning and asking what happens to a property owner if there home was destroyed and whether they have to keep paying property taxes on a home that is no longer there. The governor addressed that by saying while he doesn't have that power to execute an executive order to change that, he is looking into what can be done and more than likely it would have to be something that is passed by Legislature. Christie went on to say that as towns let residents return to their home, towns should begin going in and reassessing properties where homes were destroyed, so that residents would see a significant drop in their tax on a property where there is no longer a house.
You can listen to the entire interview in the audio player below.